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Mendel's genetic experiments with peas led him to the conclusion that an individuals traits are decided by those of it's parents. More specifically, it's GENES that hold the genetic info that decide what traits an organism will be born with.

He also deduced that some ALLES (variations of specific genes) are either dominant or recessive. If, for example, a mother had a dominant blue eye gene, and a father had a recessive brown eye gene, the blue eye gene would take precedence over the brown eye gene in their child.

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Because of how peas fertilize,

Mendel realized that they'd be

the perfect organism for genetic

testing.

Mendel CROSS-POLLINATED pea

plants with different traits (these are the P, or parental units)

and observed how it affected the F1,

or filial (children) generation.

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Fertilization is the process in which male

and female reproductive cells join to make new cells.

Peas, however, are SELF-POLLINATING.

In other words, they produce offspring

identical to themselves.

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Mendel is best known for his genetic experiments with peas. But why peas? The answer lies within the process of FERTILIZATION.

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Austria, 1822

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The Father of Genetics